Day after being found in state of starvation, elder sister dies

New Delhi: Anuradha Bahal, the elder of the two sisters, who were rescued from their self-imposed seclusion in a Noida apartment, died this morning.

A day after being found in an acute state of starvation, one of the two sisters who had confined themselves to their apartment here for over six months died on Wednesday morning.

In a shocking case of self-depravation, Anuradha and her sister Sonali were found in a dehydrated state by police and an NGO on Tuesday in their Sector 59 apartment.

“Anuradha’s mouth was bleeding. She was shifted to the ICU but in spite of all medical efforts we were not able to resuscitate here. And, she took her last breath around 8 am,” Dr. Amit, Chief Medical Officer, said.

The cause of the death of Anuradha, who was in her late 40s, will be ascertained after post-mortem, V.V. Joshi, spokesperson, Kailash Hospital, said.

“The condition of the younger sister Sonali (also in her 40s) is stable but she is suffering from depression,” he said.

Police said they were examining the legal issues involved in the case.

Anuradha and Sonali had apparently became disturbed after their father passed away some years back and their younger brother left them to fend for themselves, police had said, adding that in the interim period, their pet dog also died adding to their woes. Their mother had passed away earlier.

Police had broken into the apartment after being informed by neighbours and an NGO about the state of the women who had not come out of their home for the past several months.

According to a member of the Sector 59 Residents Welfare Association, “The two sisters were upset after their parents died some years ago. They had differences with their younger brother who lives separately. Their pet dog, which they were very fond of, died about six months back after which they became even more upset.”

Usha Thakur, a social activist who accompanied the police, said the house was stinking when its door was broken open.

“There was a very bad odour coming from the sisters’ bodies. While the older one was half nude, the younger sister was wearing woollen clothes in this warm weather,” she claimed.